President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Sports Commission (NSC) to commence a comprehensive overhaul of Nigerian football following the recent leadership crisis at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The directive, announced on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, is aimed at addressing the country’s repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and global competitions.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu attributed the declining fortunes of Nigerian football to what he described as “structural weaknesses within the system”, noting that other sports had made significant progress since the sports sector was repositioned under the re-established NSC.
“The reform must respond to a longstanding need to strengthen governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football,” Tinubu said.
The President added: “Football, Nigeria’s most popular sport and the greatest beneficiary of public support, investment and national attention, has continued to struggle basically due to structural deficits within the system.”
Tinubu has consequently tasked Shehu Dikko, chairman of the NSC, with working alongside the NFF secretariat to coordinate a broad-based and consultative reform process.
The President also stressed the need for the reform process to include appropriate consultations with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), particularly to prevent Nigeria from facing sanctions over perceived government interference in football administration.
The directive came shortly after Ibrahim Gusau announced his resignation as NFF president, while the federation’s general secretary, Muhammad Sanusi, also vacated his position.
The changes followed a difficult period for Nigerian football under the outgoing administration. The senior men’s and women’s national teams failed to secure places at their respective World Cups, while the country’s age-grade teams also suffered setbacks.
The Super Falcons missed the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament began in 1991, while the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite Africa having an expanded allocation of 10 places.
Nigeria’s U-17 and U-20 men’s teams equally failed to qualify for their respective World Cup competitions.
Gusau, who became NFF president in 2022, was originally expected to remain in office until next month, with an elective congress scheduled for September 27.
However, the future of the proposed congress has become uncertain amid reports that a normalisation committee could be appointed to manage the affairs of the federation.
The development followed reported pressure on the NFF leadership from senior government officials, including officials within the NSC and the presidency, amid growing concerns over the state of Nigerian football.
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